The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-10-09
coon sronns OF rHH PnHsENF DAT.
TIVE Case. I. witch Csreuustestisi Evidence
vyss Uatrustwsrthy.

was putfuetWett.bs
In my profession as detective l have
often been asked II believed In tho virtue OF
circumstantia evidence. In every instance
have replied ia tho affirmative. While tho pro-
fession may make o man hard-hearted and
anxious TO convict II 10 nevertheless certain
fact that complete chain Of circumstantial
evidence against criminal will settle his case
sooner than half dozen respectable Witnessed.
Lawyers can browbeat and confuse witnesses,
and the veracity OF witness can be slurred or
impeached. but whom you strike against cir
cumstance It IL not so easy to step over 1t or
explain u away. Ihave been an Interested
party in two cases where circumstantial evil
dence convicted the wrong persons, but still, II
on jury where circumstances wero against the
prisoner, I should not hesitate to weigh every
thing against him.
Many years ago. when was young man OF
eighteen. ran away from my 9nole, to whom
LyerpooPp MsaSs county Ohio and n
for or mercy on. man or animal His vile
him. would make his children tremblc. Our
family Sed hundred miles away way had ., we
out on nav visit. Seemsd TO take a liking TO me.
IGr three years. l liked farm work, and as
visiting us. l was by no means opposed to the
arrangement. No sooner had we arrived at his
eVs than he Hna
promise Of q good licking" In the morning,
sa sssmSer xndoa and SGT ior oeyo
land. Uncle jabeg was, a man who would de-
turned home he would follow on and make me
a captive. As soon as he missed mo he would
raise q great hue and cry over the county. and
some large city and lore myself in the mass.
The farm WAS twenty-five miles from Cleve-
ana could nave Waaea tue
the roads were good, but for the fret ten miles
! did not dare use the hiEhway; Teams S were
JaSez. wiz" Win the difficulties In my path aid
mot mo. ye
street. country fashion. when l made a rich
ladies watch chains. and several charms and
!ockets; They were scattered about as II they
1 hsa fallen cRsa bsw vehicle aS aa hf
0SHs 81 ~ ~ ss,s s s
j did not know exactly how to proceed
property. nor did have the remotest intention
that did not know exactly what course to
take. being but young. green boy. At home
but Under present. fS was pulled
had heard Of policemen, but never saw one.
. nsas sss m WSat e the first
found t the Jew iswei sSq steppsd SsrSan gro.
boy boy about il IL years old in The store. and he
stock: was alintias xhsa des flushed a.
man and his vie rushed out and attacked
snS ssd Gn OF TsS
against me- c0 HE eofiieor asked who was,
have let tine me Co. but did not dare !eii him that
10 9ase I'll sassd 70
him. and he naturally concluded was 2 sus-
picious character. and took me to the station.
establishment and rejoicing, and the charge Of
q
Superior street had been robbed Of large
amount Of jewelry, and the robbers i, had g9s
found It. but as would not tell them WHO I
cia s d too thin Under the same
to-day would do just as the officers did then,
They regarded my Greenness as assumed
thieves In the country. Every inducement was
%hS 70 70 sds to bss os2 %an ss
tougher Characters, and my inability to DO 4
was laid to shrswdness st and nerve The only
tnse snd tRat Slowing myself openly
Der Der would would hang about town with his pockets
full Of plumber, but they got over this by say
ing it was q shrewd move on my part to throw
'u Had H IaeEnoSledsed my identity. Uncle Jabez
would have come on to defend and clear me,
thrashed me within an inch OF my life. I
therefore. whom the trial came on I had moth.
f of three se, years. Was glad OF it. Would be
hear IF the aaoe sv0 moth
my sentence was due to the efforts Of ono old
|s s9 July h9A @ ne s WIZ
6ss beer e hs as se sTole
clerks testified on the stand that stood for
"Ihen you positively swear he is the per-
son do eSe decded Answer esSe case
Icould have shown that ! was twenty-five
miles away at the time. and that had never
Of my arrest, but, for reasons which. have
stated. made no effort In my own defence.
to t
convict for four months when, one day. was
eral gentlemen present, and among them rec
ognized the Cuyahoga county Prosecuting At
torney and two Cleveland detectives. The
Prosecutor began by declaring that was an
Under promise that they would not betray me.
I gave y to them. II seems that the detective
the jewelrZ robbers and secured most Of the
plumber There were three OF them. all old
hands, and the stun found had been lost BY
them as they drove out of the city. Robbers
though they WERE they did me a good turn by
denying that had any hand In the affair. In
deed, after the case was opened, the detectives
saw that q blunder had been made IN arrest
ing me. The gentlemen had come with par
don from the Governor and I returned to
Cleveland with them on the promise Of en-
ployment. To test the value Of the people at
the, jewelry store as witnesses the detective
S tSF s In there b sna asked Sar they
could not have changed me much, and yet
those who had sworn SO boldly against me on
the stand now denied having ever seen me be.
that circumstance has always been nppermost
IN my mind when had case where the iden-
tity Of prisoner was to be sworn to. have
always cautioned my witnesses not to testify